The Covenant
by Sdebeli
Summary: As Luffy finally got his hands on the clues that will lead him to Gol D. Roger's lost treasure, the dark shadows of his past begin catching up to him, as he calls up on his friends for one more adventure...
1. Prologue

Author's note : Welcome to the first chapter of my first piece of fan fiction, "The Covenant"

The setting is an alternate earth set somewhere around the middle of the 21st century, but not a futuristic one... it'll get explained further on

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Rain was falling on the streets outside the bar, as two men sat down and ordered their drinks. Both were rubbing their hands from the cold outside. It was early november, but the weather had been unusually

frigid. The older of the two, a red-haired man, sporting a trio of scars over his left eye took his glass of scotch and took a short sip, before turning to his younger companion. He carefully studied his

features, the wild and unkempt black hair, and equally black eyes, the scar under his left eye, his developed physique now concealed by a coat. He didn't fail to notice that he didn't carry any weapons.

Confident as ever.

"It's been a while Shanks" the boy started, before taking a sip from his glass of rum, looking at his friend and mentor with a smile.

"Aye Luffy" Shanks replied with a grin. It had been two years since he last saw the boy, and he had grown quite a bit. He had always viewed the boy as his own flesh and blood, even if they weren't related in

any way. He was proud of the kid. "Two years. I hear you've been doing well"

Luffy merely grinned before taking finishing off the glass and calling for another.

"Aa. So, why did you call me, Shanks? I doubt it was for the small talk and the drinks" Luffy grinned even wider.

"Whaaat? Can't an old man have fun from time to time?" Shanks grinned as widely as his friend "Sheesh, kids these days"

"Fine, let's get to down business" he sighed "I've got something interesting for ya"

Shanks drew a small envelope from his coat and threw it to Luffy.

"What's inside?" Luffy asked, his curiosity piqued. Shanks got up from the table, leaving enough cash to pay the drinks and started going for the door.

"It's a picture of what I've recently 'acquired'" he said, with a smile as he outed the last word "I'm throwing a party at my place tonight. Drop in if you're still interested"

Waiting a few seconds, Luffy finished his drink, and left the bar, tucking the envelope into his coat. He laughed silently. Shanks would always be Shanks... he could never deal with work without a boatload

of booze and a party going around. Nodding to the bartender, Luffy slowly walked out into the street, enjoying the rain as it felt on his face.

He decided to get back to the rented apartment before taking a look at the newest 'offer'. Shanks was a smuggler, and a damn good one, but aside from the usual goods, he'd get some rather interesting pieces

from time to time. The last time he called him like this he ended up with a small fortune in gold... which he mostly spent on a new boat and parties with his crew. But afterwards they parted ways... if this

lead was to nearly as good, he might be able to get them all together again. Time passed quickly as he reminisced about their past adventure, and he soon found himself at the dockside complex where he had an

apartment. Not paying much attention to the locals, he waved his hand to the lady that ran the place before going there.

Luffy hung his coat to dry before finally opening the envelope. He took the small picture, and his eyes went wide as he realized what he was looking at.

-------------------

A few hours later, both Luffy and Shanks were nearly drunk as they went into the office.

"So, what do you think about that little picture I left ya?" Shanks asked, dropping onto a chair with relief.

"I"m not sure I even want to know how you got your hands on it." Luffy stopped for a second, his drunkenness quickly fading, as a serious frown formed on his face

"Gol D Roger's journal" he continued "and inside the leads to where he left his treasure"

Shanks quietly nodded

"So what do you want in return?"

Luffy carefully studied Shanks' face as he uttered those words. He remembered the stories that his former mentor told him of that treasure, and how he wanted to find it. But he was also a rather practical

man. He saw no greed in the man's eyes, only a sense of longing.

"I want you to..." Shanks stopped for a moment, lowering his head "I want you to find out if it's realy there" he sighed as Luffy stood speechless "As much as I want to go out there and find it myself, I'm

getting to old for this" he absently pointed to his missing arm, and Luffy felt a small sting as he remembered how Shanks lost it saving his hide five years ago.

He couldn't help but smile.

"I'll do it." he said solemnly "I'll bring back proof, and if it's there" he grinned "I'll come back to draw your ass to it"

Shanks blinked as he heard what Luffy said.

"Whahahahahaha" he couldn't help himself from laughing "Crazy as ever kid." he said, clutching his stomach "Take it, and good luck!"

He tossed Luffy a small briefcase. Inside was the precious book, a small green leatherbound tome, bearing Roger's symbol.

-------------------

From the top of a nearby building, an hooded girl watched the two talk. A short laugh was the only thing heard as she saw Luffy opened the briefcase to confirm its contents. _This would be an easy mark_, she

thought as she dropped to the street bellow and waited for him to come out. Her gamble was about to pay off big time.

-------------------

Back at the apartment, Luffy was lying on his bed, considering what to do next. He had already contacted his entire crew and called them to gather in Water-7. He would have to call _her_ as well, but that could

wait until tomorrow. He took one last look as the briefcase lying safely next to him before closing his eyes. He sighed silently as a few minutes passed, he was to excited to sleep. And he could faintly feel someone getting into the apartment through the balcony door

* * *

And cut. That's the end of the short introduction chapter. Not much here, but I should be posting the first real chapter by tomorrow. Reviews and comments are always welcome as is constructive criticism.


	2. Chapter 1 A rude awakening

Author's note : This is the first official chapter of the story. I'll probably start explaining things from the next chapter, or I'll just update it at some point... way to tired to do it now... anyway, enjoy:P

* * *

**Chapter 1 - A rude awakening**

_She is cute_, Luffy thought idly as he looked at the unconscious orange-haired girl on his bed. He took one more look at a paper in his hand before crumpling it down and throwing it out the window. He had neatly sorted her tools and took his time in examining each and every one of them. An idea was forming in the back of his mind, and he couldn't help but grin. Giving up on waiting for the girl to wake up, Luffy went to the balcony to get some fresh air... Zoro and Sanji would be here soon anyway.

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She didn't want to wake up. The dream was too sweet for her to wake up. And then the realization hit her like a bag of bricks. She jerked herself up, surveying the room she found herself in. It was the bedroom of the apartment she broke into last night. The place seemed comfortable enough, but she had other worries at the time. Her mind was racing, going through the memories of last night...

_He's going to be an easy mark, she thought while following him. She stopped as her target entered an apartment complex near the docks. She smiled. She couldn't believe her luck, she knew the place like the back of her hand, and it took her only a few minutes to find out where the man was staying. Making sure that nobody saw her, she broke into the apartment just above his, planing to take advantage of the balcony doors to get in and out._

_Two hours later, she tied a solid rope on her floor, slowly descending to the balcony beneath her. Silently dropping on the floor, she sneaked inside through the open balcony doors, carefully looking for the briefcase. She finally spotted it in the bedroom, right next to the sleeping body of the man she had been following for the better part of the day. Waiting for a few seconds to make sure that he was asleep, she slowly crept to the bed, her hand going for the briefcase._

_Just as she had grabbed the handle, she realized that the bed in front of her was empty, and she felt a strong pressure on her shoulder._

"_Not smart" were the last words she heard said in a tone that made her spine shiver, horror sweeping over her entire mind before everything went black._

... she felt beads of cold sweat roll down her face. She had miscalculated. And failed. Every possible bad scenario went through her head before she heard the sound of someone having a shower, bringing her back to reality. The sound was coming from one of the two doors leading out of the room. She could hear faint humming. She glanced her self over, realizing that she was still in her clothes from last night, sans her entire equipment. On the table next to her stood a glass of water along with a note. Deciding that if her host had wanted to hurt her, he would have done so already, she took the glass, and read the note

"By the time you're reading this, breakfast should be ready" signed, L.

_Breakfast?_, she wondered, completely failing to understand the situation.

"Oi, Luffy, Zoro!" she suddenly heard a voice calling "Breakfast is ready!"

"YOSH!!" she could hear the man in the shower happily yelling, the sound of water instantly stopping.

A few moment later, the door opened and a Luffy left the bathroom wearing a comfortable robe.

"Aa" he shortly exclaimed, a grin forming on his face "You're up. I'm Monkey D. Luffy" he said simply, offering his hand to the completely confused girl. She simply stood in shock.

"Nah? What's wrong?" he asked, a slightly worried frown replacing his grin "You alright?"

Swallowing hard, she tried speaking

"N-Nami" she stuttered

"Eh?"

"M-my name is Nami" she repeated, gathering enough courage to shake his hand

"Ah. That's a nice name. Pleased to meet ya" he said, the grin back in full force "Come on" he added, going for the door leading to the living room.

"Umm" she tried "where?"

"Where?" he threw a blank look at her "Breakfast!" he said like it was the most natural thing in the world, his thumb pointing at the door.

She couldn't help but smile. At least she wasn't in any immediate danger, she thought as her stomach grumbled, she might as well have breakfast.

"Sanji! Set up another tray!" Luffy happily said, earning him a rather strange look from both of the men present in the room. Nami took a careful look at both as she entered the room. The man that Luffy had called Sanji, was tall and leanly built, with blond hair covering one of his eyes, the other having a strange twirling eyebrow. He was neatly dressed, and was apparently cooking. The other, whom she surmised was Zoro, was still sleeping on the couch. He was equally tall, with short green hair and slightly darker skin, with three earing attached to his left ear. He was nervously clutching three katanas that were lying next to him, along with several empty bottles of beer.

Sanji sighed a bit, before finally noticing her, his eyes going wide in shock as he realized where she was coming out from. Zoro had merely smirked, apparently coming to the same conclusion.

"Don't tell me you.." Sanji's words trailed off.

"I what?" Luffy asked innocently, a look of surprise on his face "Oh... no" he quickly added as a blush crept up his face.

"Aa" he said, seemingly realizing something. "This is Nami. Nami this is Sanji" he said, pointing at the surprised blond man "and Zoro" he added pointing to the now not-so-asleep man.

"Nice to meet you miss Nami" Sanji said, offering a small smile. Nami offered her hand, still slightly confused at her situation, which Sanji gladly accepted.

Zoro got up from the couch and stretched before coming closer.

He offered his hand to the girl, eying her suspiciously.

"Don't worry" Luffy whispered "He's just grumpy when he wakes up early" he added with a smirk

"So is she the thief you caught last night?" Zoro asked bluntly. Nami got nervous again as her eyes went from Zoro to Luffy and back again.

Luffy merely stood silent for a moment, so did Sanji, the tension easily felt in the air.

"Hai" Luffy said, his voice lacking any emotion.

"Are you sure about this Luffy?" Zoro asked again

"Completely" Luffy replied, a grin plastered to his face

"Fine with me" Zoro replied as he went to the table

"Although I think she's still a bit spooked... I knocked her out last night" Luffy said, a small blush appearing on his face. Nami didn't even get the time to frown in disbelief, before Sanji went ballistic and slammed hid foot into Luffy's face.

"HOW DARE YOU KNOCK OUT A LADY!!!!" he screamed at the unfortunate man

"Sorry!" Luffy tried to apologize, his voice muffled by the foot lodged in his face

"Shity bastard" Sanji mumbled

"Hey, she woke me up in the middle of the night, how the hell was I supposed to react?" Luffy yelled back at Sanji.

The comic exchange continued for a few minutes. It suddenly dawned to Nami that Luffy was lying... he hadn't been asleep. Over at the table, Zoro came to a similar conclusion. Both wondered what it meant. Nami walked over to the table.

"Do you guys work together or something?" she tried starting a conversation

"Yeah, from time to time" Zoro quietly replied

"Is it always like this?" she pointed to Luffy and Sanji, who were joining them

"Yep" Zoro sighed "Oi, magic brow, cut down on the noise, we're trying to talk here"

Nami palmed her head, these guys were dangerous... how the hell did she end up like this...

------------------

"Waah" Luffy sighed "That was excellent Sanji. Best breakfast I had in ages"

The cook merely smiled as he lit his cigar. Zoro was looking at the weather outside as Luffy joined him on the terrace

"Did you ask her yet?" Zoro asked quietly, his eyes still fixed at the horizon.

"No. I wanted to give her a bit of time to calm down" Luffy answered in a calm tone, which caused Zoro to turn his head towards him.

"Is she another one of your hunches?" he asked

Luffy nodded in reply. He wasn't really in the mood for a conversation, but he figured it would soon be time to tell them everything.

"Zoro" he started, hesitation evident in his voice "I know you have some doubts, and I know you're aware that I've been hiding something since we met."

The swordsman turned to his friend with a mild look of concern

"You know you don't.. "he started before Luffy interrupted him

"I know" he said sadly "But I do. Where we're going this time..." he trailed off "When we gather in Water-7 I'll explain everything to everyone. I owe you all that much" he said the last sentence with a small smile. Zoro shrugged. He didn't like seeing his friend and captain like this. It was worrying.

"So when do we leave New LA?"

"Tonight. We're taking the express that leads straight there. I'm also planning to meet someone onboard"

"Someone?" Zoro asked

"You'll see" he smirked before going back in.

Zoro frowned but stayed. He knew he wouldn't get anything out of him.

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Inside, Luffy saw Sanji washing up the dishes as Nami was sitting nervously. It was time for a talk.

"Drink?" He asked her, pouring himself a glass of rum

"Sure" she replied. He poured her a glass before dropping down next to her.

"We're a bit short on time" he started "So I'm going to offer you a choice"

She took a small sip of her drink before focusing on him. She could feel trouble brewing.

"I can turn you over to the marines" he started, sending a shiver down her spine "Or..." he stopped

"Or?" she asked hopefully. Luffy stood up and turned towards the balcony, concealing his face from her. She couldn't tell that he was grinning

"Or..." he started "You can come with us, for a chance to earn a fortune" he turned back, the grin finally visible. Nami stared in shock. This wasn't what she had expected. Hell, it was about the last thing she expected.

Looking at her confusion, he offered her the briefcase.

"Take a look inside. It's what you came for, isn't it?"

She was still speechless. Her curiosity finally snapped her out, as she began opening the briefcase to take a look at the book inside. A smile quickly crossed her face a she instantly recognized it.

"You were planning to sell it, right?" Luffy continued, leaving her wondering if he was reading her thoughts. He merely laughed.

"I'll give you until tonight to decide. We'll be at the station, 8 o'clock precisely. Don't be late if you want to go." he started going towards the bedroom "Oh, and your equipment is over there, take the cash there as well, you might want to by some clothes for the trip" he said pointing towards the table where her things were.

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_(A while later, Luffy's Apartment)_

"Where are you going Luffy?" Sanji asked lazily from the couch, where he and Zoro were watching tv

"Just picking up some whacked out order for Ussop and Franky from Shanks. Meet me at the station, okay?" he asked with a grin as he walked out of the door.

They both said sure before the door slammed

"Sometimes I really wonder what goes on inside that head of his" Sanji commented to no one in particular. Zoro took a swig of beer, before replying

"That makes two of us"

Outside, Luffy continued towards Shanks' place. There was still work to be done before tonight.

Some time later, Luffy had gathered all he needed. It was time to make a phone call. After a short stroll towards the coastline, he sat down on a bench overlooking the beach. Drawing out his cellphone, he absently typed in a phone number before dialing. He never wrote down the number anywhere, it was too dangerous. He waited as the phone dialed, and a few more seconds as it connected. A smile crossed his face.

"Hey Robin..."

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_(7:30 PM, New Los Angeles Main Station lobby)_

Nami was sitting inside a small bar within the lobby of New LA's main station. It was a pleasant place, and the coffee she was drinking was helping calm her nerves. She was still questioning the sanity of her decision, and wondering how long it would take her to regret it. She did a little research on them before coming her, and it turned out that she was quite right earlier... those were indeed dangerous people. But for some reason, she didn't feel worried. Her thoughts turned back to when she woke up that morning, to the night before and to the moment Luffy had made his offer. She couldn't pin the feeling that the man exuded. Warmth. That was the word. Strangely enough, for the first time in several years, she felt safe. She took a look at the station clock. 7:50. It was time to go

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The aide carefully entered the darkened office

"Report?" a lazy, yet commanding voice resounded from the desk.

"Sir" the aide saluted "Monkey D. Luffy has made contact with all members of his original crew and they are gathering at Water-7"

"Their objective?"

"As of yet, unknown, Sir" the aide replied

"I see"

"Uhh... Sir, there is one problem"

"Yes?" the voice asked with slight annoyance

"He made a phone call we were unable to tap."

"I see. Other than that, has he made any contact with members of the Covenant?"

"Not that we know of Sir."

The voice sighed

"Contact the docks and have them prepare the ship."

"Sir" the aide saluted before leaving the office

Admiral Aokiji was somewhat annoyed, but curious nonetheless. He twirled his pen in one hand as he opened the window and looked at the setting sun outside.

"What are you up to now old friend?" he mused.

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_(7:55, New Los Angeles Main Station Express Train Platform)_

"Are you sure she'll come?" Zoro asked, carrying his bag into the train. Luffy stopped for a second

"She'll come"

And as if cued, they saw Nami coming towards them carrying a single bag.

"Told ya" Luffy smirked at Zoro

"Nami-san!" Sanji waved at her"Over here!"

She smiled before hurrying towards them.

"I take it that's a yes?" Luffy sarcastically remarked as he took her bag to carry it in.

"The train will be departing in two minutes!" a voice announced over the speakers. The four of them settled in a private cabin near the back of the train. It wasn't overly spacey, but it was quite comfortable. After placing their belongings, and sitting down, the train finally started going.

After about fifteen minutes, the train left New LA and headed along the coast. Everyone except Luffy was asleep. He slowly got up and nudged Zoro. He twitched slightly, but didn't open his eyes.

"Zoro" Luffy whispered, trying not to wake up Nami and Sanji

"I hear ya" he whispered back, eyes still closed.

"I'm off to pick up the 'friend' who'll be joining us for the journey. I'll be back in about an hour, I haven't talked to her in years" he smiled and left.

Zoro was thankful that he had finally left. Now he could go back to sleep._ HER?_, the thought crossed his mind as his eyes went open,_ Sanji was going to be furious, _he thought as he evilly grinned and considered brand new ways to tease the cook before going back to sleep.

In the corridor of the train, Luffy slowly walked forward until he reached the next car. It was quite dark, and apart from the weak lights that illuminated the floor, it was impossible to see anything clearly. On the other side of the car, he could the distinct form of a woman leaning against a window. He grinned as he quietly crept towards her.

"You know I can hear you coming Luffy" the woman said as Luffy froze with one foot in the air

"Damn" he silently cursed, a wide smile covering his face

"It's good to see you again" the woman turned, a smile on her face visible even in this darkness

"You too Robin"

"Come on, let's go inside" she beckoned him to follow as she turned and entered the nearby cabin.

Luffy silently followed her inside, enjoying the view as the light fell upon her features.

Luffy wasn't the type who thought much about women, hell, he tried not to think much about anything, be he could still appreciate a beautiful woman in front of him. Her long black hair, and deep blue eyes, the soft features of her face, the body which drove men and women wild (although for different reasons)...

"Enjoying yourself?" She teasingly asked, breaking his revelry

"Ah?What..no.." he muttered, slightly blushing. She merely smiled. She enjoyed teasing him for as long as he had known her. Luffy sat down across from her. For a moment they sat silently, smiles etched on their faces

"So what have you been up to these past three years Robin?" Luffy asked, locking eyes with the raven-haired woman.

"Oh, the usual..." she smiled. The air began to shimmer "a little research here, an archaeological dig there, running from the marines, you know"

"Figures" he remarked, noticing the beads of sweat forming on both of their faces "You've improved"

He said, the tension vanishing, to which she replied with a small frown

"You're still better" she said, defeat evident in her voice

"Don't worry, I still doubt I can beat you in an open battle, you read me to easily" he chuckled

Robin's frown quickly disappeared.

"So, why did you call me?" she asked

"I finally found it. But I need your help in order to get there... I can't figure out half of the book"

"I see"

"My crew is gathering again... some of them are already here, the rest in Water-7... would you like to come along?" Luffy asked hopefully. Robin's smile vanished. "Robin? Is everything okay" Robin ignored him. She got up and went towards the door. Luffy felt his heart sink... without her there was no way to reach the treasure

"Well what are you waiting for? Let's meet those friends of yours" she smiled again

* * *

Author's note : The end of the first chapter.... took me longer to write it than I expected... having an exam tomorrow doesn't exactly help :P

Comments are welcome as always.

associated with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its scabbard, striking or cutting an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then replacing the sword in the scabbard.


	3. Chapter 2 Of hunters and bounties

**Author's rambling:** Woohoo! holiday time :D

avatoa : Thanks... I'll try, although like I said, I'm still new at this  
Shira_Ismaren : As is obvious it took some time... I had a nerve wracking exam a few days ago, so  
that really didn't help with publishing dates :P  
Darth Luffy : You'll figure it out soon enough... let's just say that not the entire SH crew was the  
'original crew' mentioned in the story.  
There was a movie? :D  
somebody : Yeah, it kinda is a cliffhanger. As for the update, read above :P**  
Disclaimer** : I don't own One piece. Never have, never will...

* * *

**Chapter 2 -** **Of hunters and bounties  
**

_The weather is getting worse_, Luffy thought as he and Robin stood in the corridor watching the sea. It was barely visible in the darkness, but the occasional flash of lightning briefly illuminated the coast. The rain was still falling, but it was growing weaker, but the storm was growing stronger, as rain was replaced by wind and thunder.

They walked silently towards the last car, and Luffy's cabin. There were a thousand things he wanted to ask her, but now was neither the place, nor the time for such things. There were quite a few people after both of them, and it didn't help that they both had bounties on their heads. He suddenly stopped, causing Robin to bump into him.

"Luffy, what's wr.." he placed a finger on her mouth, interrupting her.

"Shh" he whispered. Something was off, he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something felt wrong. "Come on" he whispered back to Robin as he started running. He only hoped that his friends weren't in danger. Shrugging, he tried to focus. He hadn't done this in years, and it took him a while before he could do it. Slowly, his senses expanded as he took in the growing amount if information. _Locate the threat,_ his mind raced, _find it and bring it down before they are harmed._

Robin watched as Luffy's stance changed. He was no longer walking upright, instead he crouched down, placing a hand on the floor, still as a statue. She knew full well what he was up to, and cursed herself for being completely useless, remembering that she had never mastered the skill.

Luffy slowly got up. He could feel them. His three friends were seemingly unconscious, but still alive. Four other people were nearby, two in the cabin with them, two next-door.

"How many?" Robin asked, already understanding the situation. She remembered that they worked like this before.

"Four. The two in my cabin are yours." he whispered "I'll take the other two"

"The other two?" she asked "Yes. They're better armed" she nodded

"I"m heading over the roof" Luffy stated, opening the window in the process.

"I"ll wait for you to start" she smiled

"Good luck" he grinned, pulling himself up on the roof.

_You too,_ she thought as she ran silently towards the last wagon, and Luffy's cabin. For a moment, she smiled as she realized that he had unquestioningly entrusted the lives of his friends to her. It felt nice to work with someone like that again. As she approached the cabin, her hand went to the holster on her left leg, but she quickly decided against it. She had become rusty with firearms... she'd just do it the old-fashioned way. _Besides_, she thought, _I could use the practice_.

She silently stood next to the door for a few seconds before she heard the crash.

------------------------------

Luffy gripped the rail at the edge of the roof, pulling himself up. The strong cold wind made it slightly uncomfortable to stand. He quickly realized that the coat he was wearing was only slowing him down.

_Damn, looks like I'll have to by a new one, _he thought as he threw it away, the wind carrying it off. Leaning down to increase his grip, he moved quickly towards the end of the train. Instead of normally expanding his senses as he had done before, this time he quickly focused on his targets, tracking them, and finally stopping at what he thought was the best point to start an attack. He silently thanked the weather for hiding his presence. Taking a deep breath, he grinned evilly, his two 'victims' were completely unaware of him. Dropping over the edge, he vaulted straight through the window.

------------------------------

"Jared" the woman started. The cabin was completely silent, and they had been waiting for quite a while, making her nervous "Are you sure he's coming?"

"I"m sure Sil" Jared replied. _Just as planned_, he thought. They caught most of their bounties off-guard. Three of them were lying unconscious in the nearest cabin, along with two of their 'partners'. When the last one came in, he'd be in for a big surprise.

"Just relax. We'll be getting her out of there in no time" he tried to cheer her up.

"Check your we..." Jared was cut off mid-sentence as something... no, someone came crashing through the window. There wasn't enough time to react, as the man he recognized as Monkey D. Luffy landed inside. Without stopping for a moment, Luffy jumped first at Sil, who was closer, knocking out the gun from her hands, before knocking her out with one swift strike. The whole procession lasted less than a second.

Jared barely had the time to pull his gun towards him. This was supposed to be a trap, yet they were the ones caught off guard.

"Stop" Jared yelled, pointing the gun angrily at Luffy. Luffy had his back turned, so he couldn't be sure, but he could swear he heard the man laugh a cold, lifeless laughter, before simply vanishing.

"Not on your life" Jared realized the voice came from behind him, and it finally dawned on him why that grinning kid from the picture had a fifty million credit bounty on his head, as the world went black.

------------------------------

Robin grinned as she heard all hell break loose, and the door beside her opened. The man rushing out could only watch in abject horror as the woman lander her foot into his face, knocking him unconscious. The other one didn't even get the chance to react as he got slammed from behind by an enraged orange-haired girl.

"Friend of Luffy's?" they asked simultaneously.

------------------------------

An hour later, everyone had gathered inside the cabin to discuss the mater of the four bounty hunters. They were tied up and still unconscious. Zoro and Sanji had recovered, Zoro still sulking over the fact that they caught hims asleep and Sanji trying to keep Luffy away from the snacks he was making for the crew. Robin and Nami were watching the bounty hunters.

"Captain" Zoro prodded Luffy with the tip of his sword sheath "One of them is awake"

All the commotion in the room was brought to a stop, as the entire crew focused their attention on the unfortunate bounty hunter. Coming to his senses, Jared realized that he and his friends were tied up, and that quite a few hard faces were looking at them.

"So, what do we do with the shity bastards" Sanji asked, blowing smoke from his cigar in Jared's direction.

Nami was glaring daggers at the man, while Robin simply threw a cold glare in his direction.

Zoro and Luffy watched expressionlessly. Sil soon woke up, as did the rest of them.

"I say we cut them up and throw the remains to the fishes" the swordsman calmly stated, deathly serious. The four prisoners started nervously sweating.

Luffy started to laugh "Nice one Zoro" he remarked. The rest of the crew didn't seem to react.

"I wasn't joking" Zoro said unflinchingly. Luffy stopped laughing, his expression matching Zoro's

"I know" he calmly said. Luffy calmly considered his options. He didn't notice any markings on either clothes or equipment, but they were too well informed and equipped to work alone. It was time to mess with their heads.

"Zoro, watch over them for a second" he said as he dragged the rest of the crew outside.

As they exited, Luffy's features visibly relaxed. He stood nervously, watching an obviously frightened Nami, and a slightly worried Sanji. Robin had a blank expression on her face. He sighed before talking

"I'm sorry I got you into this mess guys" he tried to apologize, sadness obvious in his tired voice

Nami wondered why Luffy was apologizing again. She had a feeling that nobody thought him at a fault for what had happened.

"Sanji, will you keep the ladies company while me and Zoro have a chat with our bounty hunters?"

The cook made a wide smile "Sure" he answered shortly, his happiness at the idea utterly obvious.

As the three walked off to their old cabin, Luffy returned to the one with their prisoners. His head was lowered as he entered the room, his black hair covering his eyes. For a few unpleasant moments there was nothing but silence.

"I'm going to give you a chance to cooperate" he said, voice barely louder than a whisper

"We're not talking" Jared quickly replied. He suddenly found the tip of a katana belonging to a very mad swordsman on his throat.

"Quiet" he said shortly. Jared gulped.

Luffy didn't like what he was doing. These weren't bad people, but he knew that reasoning would get him nowhere fast. The only option apart from torturing them, was to scare it out of them. He raised his head. The four bounty hunters paled instantly as they saw Luffy's face. What stood before them was no longer a man, but a force of nature. Zoro had seen him once like this, so he was prepared for the immense mental pressure released in the room. He also understood why Luffy didn't want to show this face to the others yet. Jared and Sil were shaking from fear, barely able to stay conscious. The other two fainted.

"Why did you come after us?" Luffy asked simply, the pressure vanishing, its effect achieved.

Jared bowed his head, still unwilling to talk. Silently cursing, it was Sil who started

"W-we -came after you for the money" she stuttered, her body still shaking

"There's no need to lie to me" Luffy said, in a much kinder tone.

Sil's shaking stopped. He was reading her like an open book.

"Sil. Please don't" Jared whispered "If he were to find out, she'll die"

"What's the point Jared? We failed. Sister is going to die anyway." Sil started crying in defeat.

He sighed. Sil was right. She was always right.

"So?" Luffy asked, somewhat tired"Are you going to tell me how you were forced into this or not?"

Jared's head jerked up, his eyes wide in shock. How the hell was he figuring this out? Seemingly in response to his thoughts Luffy laughed

"I learned to trust my instincts a long time ago. And my instincts are rarely wrong. These two unconscious birds are probably the ones sent to make sure you don't mess something up. Am I right?"

Jared nodded weakly. Sil tried getting up.

"I-I.." she stuttered "I'll tell you everything, just please don't kill us"

Luffy nodded. He was finally getting somewhere. He quietly motioned to Zoro to cut the two of them loose, which he did.

"Me, my brother Jared and my older sister Keira were bounty hunters. We were content with the small fries, it was always minimal risk but it brought food to the table. " Sil smiled as tears began to flow down her cheeks "It was a good life, one we were happy with. Until three months ago that is." Sil stopped for a second, slowly drawing breath, trying not to break down crying.

"We were delivering a bounty to the marine base near Water-7 when that bastard showed up. He arrested Keira on false charges, and afterwards offered us an ultimatum: deliver you and your crew, or she dies. He provided us with all the information and equipment, and sent two of his agents with us to make sure when did what we were supposed to." she pointed to the two unconscious men.

Luffy silently listened to her speech, slowly absorbing and analyzing the information. He had made quite a few enemies during his life, but something like this happened once before. Zoro shrugged, as similar thoughts crossed his mind, except that he had a much better memory than Luffy.

"What can you tell me of the man who did this?" Luffy's voice was seething with anger. He had a good idea already.

"Just that he works for the Federation Government" Sil barely spoke, frightened by the sudden outburst of anger. "I-I think his name is..."

"Spandam?" Zoro asked, finally his turn to be angry.

"Y-yes. How did you..?" She raised her head, along with Jared, both surprised at his knowledge

"We shouldn't have left him alive" Zoro whispered through his clenched teeth.

"For once, I agree" Luffy was mad. Really mad. You-don't-want-to-be-his-enemy-at-this-point mad. He remembered how that bastard managed to capture his entire crew, and then lured him into a gauntlet, trying to rescue his friends, while Spandam did his best to capture him. He nearly lost his friends then, and the coward escaped unharmed.

"Jared, Sil.." Luffy said , the pair watching him in fear "how bout we go and rescue your sister?" he finished with a smile that even Zoro gladly joined.

------------------------------

"And that's what happened.." Luffy finished explaining to Sanji, Nami and Robin.

There was no need to ask Sanji... he was already preparing a world of hurt for Spandam, so Luffy turned to Nami and Robin.

"Care to join in kicking the ass of that self-righteous arrogant bastard?" he asked with an evil smile

"Gladly" they both replied with an evil grin. Robin had known of the man beforehand, and didn't mind helping her friend Luffy deliver some justice to him. Nami had wondered for a second whether the two were telling the truth, but then she remembered how she felt when Luffy expected the truth out of her._ They couldn't lie,_ she thought, and she had already agreed to join Luffy's group, so if that's what they were going to do, why not.

------------------------------

A couple of hours later the whole group went to sleep, sans Sanji who got stuck on guard duty with the two remaining prisoners. Smoking his cigar, Sanji was looking at the passing scenery outside when he heard footsteps in the corridor. Out of boredom, he decided to go outside and take a look. He could recognize the silhouette of the bounty hunter, Sil.

"Can't sleep?" he asked politely

"Mmm" she nodded in reply "Can I ask you a question?" she turned towards him suddenly

"Shoot"

"You seem like... decent people. Why did you become pirates?" she asked, finally gathering the courage

"Pirates?" Sanji looked at her with mild surprise, as if not understanding what she asked

"Oh" he muttered, as he realized what she meant "We're not pirates. We're treasure hunters"

"Neh?" Sil wondered at his answer

"It's quite simple actually." he sighed and drew another smoke from his cigar "You see, the government wants Luffy's head for some reason or another, and we did end up in quite a few fights with the marines, not to mention attacking several government sanctioned slave traders. So they put up a bounty on each and every one of our heads to try and get rid of us." he grinned "Unsuccessfully if I may add"

She smiled. It seemed that there was hope after all. _We're coming Keira, just survive a while longer please. _She thought for a moment, before starting to ask Sanji something else

"There is one more thing." she started somewhat shyly, feeling wrong to ask so many questions, but her curiosity got the best of her

"Hmm?"

"How does he know so much?"

"How does who... oh, you mean the captain?"

"Yes" she nodded.

Sanji thought for a moment. He really didn't have a good answer to that question. When he had asked that same question a few years back. Luffy has simply smiled and said one word: instinct. And he had learned to trust his friend and captain's instinct.

"Luffy's something else" he sighed "He says it's instinct, but he can read people like an open book. And he's a good man, one I'm proud to follow" he added, a content smile on his lips.

Sil wasn't sure she understood everything, but remembering the feeling he gave her earlier, she began to understand. _Like an open book_, she thought, _I wonder who that man really is. _ He sighed before going back to sleep.

------------------------------

Meanwhile, Luffy was trying to fall asleep, but failing miserably. Giving up in frustration, he opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. Dropping his head to the side, he noticed that Nami wasn't asleep either. Letting of a silent chuckle, he let his gaze rest on her. Nami was lost in her thoughts, oblivious to the young man watching her. Ironically enough, her thoughts were about him. She had known him for two days, and she already liked him, but he was a complete enigma to her. He kept a happy,carefree face most of the time, but whenever trouble arose, he'd show another, much darker one. She shuddered as she remembered his face on the night he caught her breaking into his room. She saw his face for a split second, but it had been enough, she would never forget the look in his eyes. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Was it pain? Rage? Fear? Hunger? She was uncertain, but she wanted to find out.

Quite contrary to popular belief, Luffy wasn't a mind reader. _After ten years of that,_ his heart beating faster at the memory, _reading the emotions of normal people is easy._ He could tell that Nami was thinking about something that frightened her, and he was sad that there was a good chance it was him.  
Turning back, he closed his eyes trying to fall asleep.

"Luffy.." he heard Nami's voice.

"Mmm?" he mumbled

She gathered her courage to ask him.

"Why are you going after Roger's treasure?" she asked somewhat bluntly.

Luffy jerked up from the bed, the question mildly startling him. He threw his legs over the side of the bed as he sat up, staring at Nami. He sighed deeply, before getting up and walking over to her

"Come with me" he said, somewhat sadly as he offered his hand. Hesitating for a moment, she grabbed it and got up, following Luffy as he went outside. Zoro, Jared and Robin were still asleep inside. Luffy silently thanked the powers above for leaving the corridor empty and for stopping the storm outside.

"Where are we going?" Nami quietly asked him, a slight tone of concern evident in her voice

"Just outside" he whispered with a slight grin ""I wouldn't want to wake them up" he pointed back at the cabin. Nami laughed. Luffy leaned against the open window, the wind messing up his hair even more, but bringing a content smile to his face.

"Well?" she asked him, snapping him from his reverie.

"Freedom" was his answer. The single word left Nami mildly confused, and Luffy, seeming to realize that, took a deep breath before he continued."I think that Gol D. Roger was one of the few people who were truly free." he stopped for a second, carefully considering what to say next "Most people take such simple things for granted, I on the other hand could only dream of it while I was a small kid."

Nami carefully listened to him, and as she realized how sad he was, talking about it.

"People rarely learn to truly appreciate things before they lose them" he started again, a distinct hint of melancholy present in his voice "As a kid, I didn't have a family, nor a childhood,nor friends, nor... freedom. " the words he spoke sounded incredibly sad, and Nami flinched as she realized tears were rolling down his cheeks. Luffy absently raised his hand to wipe them off before continuing. When I was eight, Robin told me stories of the great pirate Roger." with the name, a small smile was brought back to his face, clearly a happy memory evoked through it "She told me stories about his adventures, of his treasure, of the great journeys he had. And for the first time in my life I understood what was it that I wanted. I swore to myself that I would as free as he was, that I would live my life how I chose to. Over the years, I learned that Roger's lost treasure was quite a bit more than a myth, much like the man himself. And I had realized that for a time, the freedom I longed for will be out of my reach. I made a promise a long time ago, giving up that freedom that I wanted so much for something equally valuable. That treasure is the last piece of the dream that I have left. It is the one thing still left for me out there."

"You should get some sleep Nami" he continued in a kind voice "There won't be much time for rest once we reach Water-7" and with those words, he left her to her thoughts.

_Longing. That was the word,_ Nami thought as she felt sleep overtake her.

* * *

**Author's notes : **Damn, still can't get through the 5000 word per chapter barrier :P Anyho, thanks for the reviews. I'll probably start editing all the three chapters soon enough, and I'll try to post a new one soon. I eagerly await your reviews :P


	4. Chapter 3 Reminiscing

**Replies to reviews:  
**

#Fenix Cole : Thanks for the cookies, but I'm on a diet :P Yes, Ussop will appear in the storyline, although it likely won't be the cheerful liar we all know and love  
#somebody : You'll hear soon enough. I did write that he'll tell everything to his friends once they gathered together. :P  
#clos : Thanks for the compliment and the review  
#StarKiss666 : Thanks :D You and everyone else will have to wait for that a bit. A have no intention of rushing things and messing everything up ;)  
#dbzgtfan2004 : Thanks and will do. For the last bit, read above :)

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**Chapter 3 - Reminiscing**

With a calm mind, a lone person was sitting on the roof of the speeding train as it was going through the wildlands. Eyes closed, brows furrowed in concentration, Zoro was meditating. Dawn had finally arrived barely an hour ago. There were at least twelve hours to travel before they reached the sea again, and then at another five before they reached Water-7. He chuckled for a second, remembering how Nami and Robin explained the events of last night to the conductor and the agitated passengers. Luffy was right about Nami... although in hindsight, Luffy was usually right in all of the important decisions he made. Slowly getting up, he drew his most prized possession, a master-forged katana bearing the name _Wadō Ichimonji. _The grip and sheath bore little decoration, and as he drew the blade, sunlight danced as it reflected on it's pure white surface. There were probably more powerful swords in the world, but like every competent swordsman knew, a sword is only as powerful as the hand that wields it, and it's weight is borne not by the steel it is forged from, but by the soul guiding it. To him the blade he solemnly held in his outstretched hand was more than a weapon. It symbolized everything he believed in, the code he followed, the _oath_ he had sworn. Closing his eyes and relaxing, he began to swing the blade, his body moving of its own accord as he danced across the roof, the blade, near-invisible from the speed, reflecting the light as it soared through the air. After a few minutes, he gracefully stopped, sheathing the sword. He stood silently, his mind going back to his memories

------------------

_(5 years ago, Hong Kong)_

Night was finally falling on the warm and overly moist streets of one of the worlds last surviving metropolises. Zoro loudly cursed. He was lost. Again. Damning whatever creator was up there for cursing him with such poor sense of direction, he slowly walked the never emptying streets and markets of the coastal city. He had just sharpened his swords and was looking forward to a good opportunity to test them, failing that he'd settle with a good tavern for some sake.

Along one of the larger streets, he noticed a crowd gathering. Having failed to find either fights or taverns, he let his curiosity draw him to the crowd. He could hear the people talking but he didn't pay much attention. Everyone's sights were riveted to a pair of figures around which the crowd have made a circle. One, Zoro recognized the uniform, was a Federation Marine officer, and the other was a kid about his age, wearing rolled up jeans and a simple red vest. While the marine was angry as hell, Zoro noted, much to his amusement that the boy was busy picking his nose.

"Monkey D Luffy" the marine bellowed "For crimes against the federation government I am hereby placing you under arrest."

The boy quirked an eyebrow at the man.

"Eh?" was all he said to the exasperation of both the crowd and the marine officer"Who're you?" he asked quite innocently. He marine in question was fuming.

"Lieutenant Andrew Morgan you damnable pirate" he seethed at the young man. Suddenly the young man's face darkened considerably. What the crowd interpreted as fear, Zoro realized had been rage.

"Morgan?" the boy said questioningly"Lieutenant Morgan, formerly in command of the marine vessel "White Shark"?"

The marine smirked, haring the same bad interpretation of the crowd "I see you've heard of me. Now will you come peacefully, or do I have to beat you to a bloody pulp first?"

Luffy grinned "Screw you marine. You're free to try" he said, giving him the finger. By now quite interested in how the situation would turn out, he watched the enraged lieutenant charge at the young man with an axe drawn. Much to the annoyance of the marine, he deftly dodged his every blow, throwing rather embarrassing insults at the man. After a few minutes, the marine was tired, and the pirate stood unfazed by the entire situation, idly rubbing the back of his neck and yawning slightly. The crowed gasped as the marine flew into an even worse rage and charged for an overhead slash. Which Luffy stopped. By grabbing it with two fingers and snapping off the head of the axe. He simply grinned

"Are you done?" he asked. The lieutenant gulped, realizing that he was fighting against someone far more powerful than himself. Luffy laughed, as he slammed his fist into the man's gut, sending him flying quite a way back, straight through the wall of a building in his path. Laughing at the whole situation, he quickly realized that the whole crowd was watching him in fear.

"Neh" he turned to the crowd "does anyone know where I can by some good meat?" he asked, causing a complete confusion among them. A few of the people weakly pointed in the general direction of a decent place to eat. Grinning, he slowly started walking in the direction, the crowd parting to make way.

"Thanks!" he yelled as he waved a hand at the crowd, which was by now slowly dispersing. Zoro made a devious smile. He had found a worthy sparring partner.

---------------

Having decided against fighting him in the streets, Zoro decided to follow this young man named Luffy, in hope of finding a decent place to challenge him . Although he wasn't really interested, e found out that the man had a bounty of 20 million credits on his head. He didn't really need the money, but he decided to use it as the excuse to start a fight._ Not that I really need an excuse_, he mused.

As he followed him at a discreet distance, he realized that he headed towards a large park. It was already night and the street lights were already on. For a moment Zoro wondered if his prey realized he was being followed, but quickly dismissed the idea. Luffy slowly walked over to one of the trees near a small lake, and sate down, facing the water. With a peaceful expression on his face, the boy seemingly went to sleep. Deciding it was the right moment, Zoro slowly approached.

"Took you long enough" Luffy said, his voice still sleepy and barely louder than a whisper "What do you want?"

He had noticed him, Zoro quickly realized.

"I was going to say that I was after your bounty" he started with a small smirk on his face. He drew all three of his swords

"But you're more interested in how strong I am after the show I made today." Luffy chuckled. Silently thanking whatever creator was out there for sending some entertainment, he slowly rose and faced Zoro "My fists against your swords, eh?"

"That's right" Zoro replied

"Let's make it a little more interesting" Luffy said, grinning devilishly. Zoro quickly decided that he didn't lake the way this was going. "You beat me, and I'll willingly follow you to the nearest marine base for you to get the twenty million bounty on my head. No guarantees I won't escape at a later date, though." he grinned

"And if you win?" Zoro asked, now curious as to what the young man was planning

"You join me." he stated shortly.

Thinking it over for a second, Zoro nodded in agreement.

Luffy stretched his arms behind his back for a moment, before crunching his knuckles. Both warriors seemed to be in a good mood as they simultaneously charged at each other. Zoro quickly realized just how much his opponent was holding back earlier that day, as he realized that he couldn't land a single hit on him. Thankfully, it appeared that neither could his opponent.

Dodging and parrying with his bare hands against the three swords which stormed around him, Luffy held his ground. His face had changed from earlier that day, Zoro thought, into a far more serious one, fully committed to battle. They both seemed to be going all out as the battle went on.

The first blow was laid by Luffy, as he managed to slug the swordsman in the face. He wasn't left unscathed either, as one of the blades left a shallow incision on his arm. Slowly tiring, both lost a bit of their speed, and the hits landed soon become more numerous. After nearly an hour of fighting, they both still stood, albeit at a small distance.

They were evenly matched Zoro thought almost happy at the thought. Finding a good opponent was hard, and the man he was fighting was his equal with his bare hands. He calmly surveyed the area around them as they both took a small break. The place was in ruins: Smashed rocks, cut-down trees, holes in the ground. Then a rather strange fact occurred to him. Luffy didn't seem physically as tired as he was showing himself to be. Wondering at the meaning of this somewhat obvious deception, he charged back at his foe, the short time for rest over. _It's time to finish this, _both of them thought. Gathering his remaining strength, Zoro prepared his final attack. Seemingly noticing this, Luffy stopped his attacks and awaited him with a grin.

"Oi, green-hair" he said, somewhat teasingly "Gimme your best shot"

With a wicked smile, Zoro obliged, setting his stance to that of the technique he had in mind.

Holding his two blades parallel at an angle, he dropped to a half-crouch.

"Santouryu" he whispered "Three Thousand Worlds"

With the completion of those words, Zoro charged at his foe, for the first time in months feeling joy in battle. He was more than a worthy opponent. But he was sure that this would end it.

Having closed his eyes, Luffy was waiting for the charging swordsman. Although his speed was great, before Luffy's eyes everything slowed down. Much to the swordsman's horror, Luffy blocked all three blades and smiled.

"Sorry, but now it's my turn" he sad sadly and vanished. For a moment, nothing happened, and Zoro was wondering just what the hell was going on, but then the first blow landed, then a second and then a third. Three blows of ridiculous strength were enough to bring him to his knees. Was this the same person he had fought on par with?

He felt his frustration grow along with his rage. He had failed. He was defeated. These thoughts and many others such raced through his mind as his consciousness faded.

----------------

He could feel the light falling on him. Waking up, Zoro felt bandages on him as he started at the ceiling. _Ceiling?_ He slowly forced himself up, looking at the insides of a room, probably in some hotel. He noticed some of his clothes neatly folded, and atop of them were his three swords. Further scanning the room, he felt a pair of eyes watching him

"You might want to rest a bit more." Luffy said quietly "I think I may have broken one or two of your ribs"

Zoro merely grumbled, eliciting a small laugh from Luffy.

"Don't get to upset" Luffy continued, seemingly hitting a nerve in the wounded swordsman "It really wasn't a fair fight"

Zoro sighed, the man wasn't lying, he had been utterly outclassed.

"Why didn't you fight me with full strength from the start?" he asked, his eyes closed

Luffy stood silent for a second, contemplating how to answer the question. Letting out a small sigh, he decided ask him a few questions first.

"Apart from the fun, why did you pick a fight with me?"

"I wanted to test my strength." Zoro replied tiredly"And you still haven't answered my question"

"Same reason" he replied shortly "That trick I pulled of in the end..." he stopped for a moment

"Does the term Awakened mean anything to you?" he asked, seemingly changing the subject

Zoro was quiet. He had heard the word, but merely as a rumor. A rumor that people with amazing powers wandered the world, capable of great feats of power and destruction. Stories claimed that the had sold their souls to the devil in return for power, or that they found lost relics that bestowed them with power. He had even heard a weird tale that by eating a strange fruit you could gain such powers. But one thing was common in all stories: they were equally unbelievable.

"Why do you ask?" Zoro finally mouthed, unsure at what he was aiming.

"You seem to be a man of honor, Roronoa Zoro" the said man flinched, a bit surprised how he knew his name "Can you keep a secret?"

"Sure"

"What I am about to show you and tell you is not to leave this room under any circumstances. Understood?"

Zoro nodded, curious as to what he was about to show him.

"The reason I asked you what you knew about the Awakened is..." he stopped for a moment. Zoro blinked, not fully believing what he was seeing, but staying relatively calm. Luffy's arm stretched, and snapped back. "...because I am one of them."

"So that's how you pulled the disappearing act" Zoro idly commented

Luffy laughed, he had hoped that Zoro would show little to no reaction. He nodded, the grin never leaving his face.

"It was part of it. You see, all Awakened have two inherent powers" he started to explain. Zoro didn't seem particularly interested. "First, like this rubber ability of mine, are caused by genetic mutations, some inherited, some artificially caused. And second, and this is where you should pay attention, is the Will"

Zoro slightly twitched at the word. It seemed oddly familiar, but not from the rumors he had heard, but from somewhere else. From the teachings of the Way of the Sword.

"I see you have an idea of what I'm talking about." Luffy's expression changed to a solemn one

"Not many wield the Will. The Awakened carry it as a birthright, but aside from them only a handful of truly exceptional people can wield it. And I think you have potential" he smirked as he said the last word.

"There are as many ways to use it as there are people who can. I for instance figured out how to use a fraction of my Will to accelerate my body, while protecting it from any damage that would be incurred do to the speed-up. I know a guy who can teleport himself around. And I've seen even weirder things happen" he grinned. "I can teach you how to use it" he added as an afterthought, sending a shock through the swordsman's mind

--------------

_Those are good memories,_ Zoro thought as he snapped back to reality. He had trained him, but he never answered the question Zoro had asked him. It had no longer been necessary. After a year's training Zoro understood. If he always used the will, he would never grow stronger, so he chose to fight with his own strength wherever he could. The woman, Robin, that Luffy had brought, he was certain that she had the Will as well, and was very likely an Awakened too. He had always wondered why Luffy had kept it a secret from the others, and why he never told them everything. Zoro understood that Luffy was keeping a secret, and it seemed that, for the time being at least, a secret it would remain.

Finding an interesting target in a large rock in the distance, he figured it was time to try it once again. Focusing his mind and will onto his blade he took his stance, waiting for the right moment. Iai was a style he appreciated, elegant, efficient and clean. The rock outcropping was a hundred meters away. In a single fluid moment, with a movement that no normal eye could see, he drew the white blade, slashing at the air and sheathed it. As the sword clicked into place, the rock was split in two. He grinned. Suddenly, another rock some fifty meters behind the original target snapped as well. His grin grew wider. His range and strength had improved. As did his endurance. The exhaustion he had feel the first time when he tried was crippling, but now, he could only feel his heartbeat speed up a little.

_--------------_

"_Remember"_ Zoro remembered Luffy explaining as the two trained _"Using Will puts strain on your body and mind. Using it for short bursts of strength and speed are probably your best options for now._"Luffy blocked a blow from Zoro's blade with his bare hands. Zoro was frustrated at the fact how hard it was to use. When he first managed to use Will, he also knocked himself unconscious from the strain. It had been a month since, and he was now capable of using short bursts to increase his speed and strength. _Everyone has their own path when it comes to the Will,_ he could hear Luffy's voice in his head. He found out that his was improving the strength of his body, but his progress was abysmal. With a month of training, he could only use it twice or trice in a battle.

"This won't work" Luffy winced "The progress is too slow" Luffy stood for a minute, brows furrowed in concentration, until he slammed his fist onto his palm in realization. Zoro merely watched him, Luffy didn't know shit when it came to swords, but when it came to what he was teaching him, he was a pro. Luffy grinned.

"It would probably take you around a decade to reach continuous use this way, so will do it the other way around. Instead of focusing large amounts of energy, try using a much smaller amount, but constantly."

And so, Zoro tried, and much to his surprise it had worked. The improvement wasn't great, but it was there, and he could maintain it without breaks or even any strain. Luffy grinned widely

"That should improve your growth considerably. You should still train that burst release, for your more powerful attacks though" and with those words, Luffy left his friend and went to sleep, while Zoro continued to train.

------------------

Sanji took a sip of tea as he heard the explosion in the distance. He made a small smile, _The shity swordsman's improving,_ he mused. Not that he would ever say it to his face, as these two hurled insults in each other's direction whenever a good opportunity presented itself, which was basically when they were within shouting distance. Deciding against wasting his time on the green-haired idiot, or the crazy captain who was also missing, he took a look at their new companions. The youngest of the three was Sil, the bounty hunter. She was slightly shorter than him, with short blond hair, green eyes and a smile that could probably melt ice. She was dressed up in a nondescript military uniform, which did a good job of hiding most of her rather attractive body.

Second was Jared, her slightly older brother. Same short blond hair and green eyes, but a much darker look on his face, framed by a bandana which apparently never left his head. His uniform was similar, except that it seemed that his was a bit less restrictive. He was quite large, and Sanji laughed internally at the idea that Luffy brought him down with just one hand, most likely. Knowing how things went with his crew, he didn't expect these two to stay long. His eyes then moved to the two ladies whom he expected to stay quite a while longer. Nami and Robin, as Luffy had introduced them, were both stunning in their own right, but something told him that they were both made of sterner material than it seemed. And it didn't help that his crazy captain had his already infamous 'instincts' to guide him. Sanji made a small smile before walking over to them and asking them politely if he could get them something.

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**Author's Rambling : **Another chapter done. I am proud to say that I've finally crossed the 10k word mark without being booed off the scene :P This is going quite a bit easier now that I'm free as a bird :D Anyho, down to the subject of the new chapter, I decided to start adding in explanations to various things that happen. As you probably noticed, there is a rather obvious explanation of Luffy's vanishing trick from before :P I'll add stuff to the end of the chapter whenever I can't figure out how to put something into the story itself

Oh, and

Iaido (Iai from above is a short form)- Japanese sword style associated with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its sheath, striking or cutting an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then replacing the sword in the scabbard.(mostly copy/paste from wikipedia)

Anyho, thanks for reading, and keep posting reviews/comments.

And here's a quote (from God knows where, cause I certainly can't remember) for ya: If you see a rifle on the wall in the first act, expect someone to be killed by it in the second or the third.


	5. Chapter 4 Arrival at Water 7

Author's notes : I'm baaack! I've decided to finally finish this chapter after several months. In all honesty I didn't have any inspiration to write this in a long time, but it was always my favorite story, so I'll be continuing it as of now. To those curious, Chopper will be in the story, but as a full-blooded human, rather than a reindeer. Sorry if it disappoints you, but I've decided to almost completely cut the Zoan users from the story, giving them either alternative powers that go along similarly, or to remove them entirely. Now, this chapter will reveal a part of what's going on, though I'm keeping the really juicy bits for later on.

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**Chapter 4 : Arrival at Water-7  
**

_(Roof of the Serpent's Tail inn, Water-7, 21:00)_

Near the edge of the roof, two men seemed to be waiting. Their figures were barely visible in the moonlight. The smaller of the two, was a tall and wiry youth, with tanned skin, unkempt black hair and a pair of targeting goggles resting right above his focused black eyes, was sitting, leaning against an oversized heavily modified crossbow and a large suitcase which he absently stroked with his left hand. The case was leather and had a silver imprint of the name 'Mjöllnir' on it. The other person was abnormally large, easily towering over his smaller companion. The man was laying down on the roof, wearing jeans and a black biker jacket over a white muscle shirt. His naturally blue hair had dropped to his side, while his eyes were covered by a pair of shades. He was soundly asleep.

The smaller man scratched his ear in boredom, watching the railway that went from the mainland to Water-7, before pulling out a cellphone, his calm face illuminated by the display as he checked the time. He checked his clothes once more. Black cargo pants, black shirt and a black trenchcoat over it. No his favorite clothes, but then again, he was near invisible in the night thanks to them.

He sighed. The train was later than usual... so that meant that those he expected were late as well... and he could be at home fixing up his beloved weapon instead of sitting up here. Still, the situation warranted every care, and messing up could leave him dead or in jail... he didn't like either outcome. A short look later, something caught his attention in the distance. Thanks to the sea around them, the train could approach almost soundlessly, but his well-trained eyes spotted it. Dropping the goggles over his head, he checked it just to make sure.

"Finally" he said, dropping his shoulders and relaxing, as if a great weight has been lifted from his shoulders."Now, for the fun part" he muttered sarcastically.

He slowly turned to his sleeping companion and nudged him gently

"Oi" he nudged him, failing to prompt a reaction

"Oi, Franky" he said louder, jabbing the man. Still nothing.

"Wake up you bastard!" he yelled at him, lightly kicking him in the side, only to curse himself afterward as he hurt his leg

"Unh...ummm...what?" Franky tried "Ussop? What's going on? Are they here?"

"Yes you lug, now get the hell up, we're going to meet them." he sighed. Why did he have to be paired up with Franky? Why couldn't it be someone normal like.... his train of thought stopped at that point. There was no one remotely normal in their crew, especially himself. 'Oh well'

"We finally get the parts" Franky commented, smiling widely

"Upgrades..."Ussop made a maniacal grin, stroking his weapon. Franky stepped away from the psycho. Friend or not, the boy scared him at times.

----------

Luffy felt horrible. Robin was sleeping on the bed, still sobbing from time to time. He dropped his shirt on the bed opposite from her after covering her with a blanket and tucking her in. His discarded shirt and coat were lying on the bed opposite from her's as he desperately tried to guide his thoughts away from his current predicament. With his upper torso bare, his eyes slowly crossed over each of his scars, taking the time to remind himself how he got each and every one of them: scientists, slavers, marines, sea creatures, Zoro, Sanji... he shortly grinned at the last two. Their sparring matches were nothing to scoffed at. His eyes finally reached the point that worried him. Over the area where his heart is, there was a small tattoo in the form of the roman numeral for ten, with a vertical sword behind it and a rose vine binding the two, all done in simple black ink. His fingers traced the mark, while his eyes turned to Robin, and a sad smile crossed his face. She had finally stopped sobbing. With a small sigh, he sat down next to her, reminding himself what had brought this on.

_(Flashback, two hours ago)_

The whole group had finally gathered for lunch, courtesy of Sanji, who had 'convinced' the restaurant-wagon chef to let him cook. Much to the man's surprise, Sanji was a master of his trade, easily preparing meals for everyone present, even giving the chef a few pointers. The crew chatted as they waited for the food, with topics ranging from fashion to firearms, not noticing that two people remained quiet throughout the procession. With lunch finished, they kept talking, each holding to his or her drink. The first to leave were Nami and Sil, quickly followed by Zoro, Jared and Sanji, most of them at Zoro's pressuring. He knew his captain well, and had met Robin once before... a little privacy wouldn't hurt for their reunion.

The pair sat silently, drinks in hand, content to watch each other. There was no need for words, only a feeling of closeness that both had sorely missed for years.

_'God how I missed her',_he thought, blissfully aware that the woman sittingacross him had similar thoughts. His smile grew brighter, his memories of her surfacing once more. She was the first person to threat him like a human being, the first to care for him, the older sister he never had, a sister in all but blood. She offered him a gleam of hope when he had none, and in return he gave the warmth and protection she needed. Most would probably confuse them for a couple, but both knew better, the bond they shared was something different. Idly sighing, his hand crossed a barely visible scar on his left palm, a memento of a day long ago. Robin smiled at the small gesture, herself reminded of the same. Brotherhood or sisterhood by blood, a seemingly childish ritual that bound the two of them, two lone people to each other, providing them with the one thing they missed greatly: family.

They slowly walked out of the wagon, heading for Robin's room. She had kept a bottle of good rum specially for him. All went well, and the pair talked for what seemed an eternity, until they were interrupted by a sharp pain.

Luffy, who was standing at the time, lost his balance and fell to the ground, his left hand painfully clutching the area over his heart. Robin wasn't in a much better condition, she had dropped her glass, and was starting to shed tears from the sheer influx of the pain. The marks had begun flaring... one of the Ten was dead.

"The Seer is dead" he quietly whispered, while Robin nodded, the tears still falling freely. Neither of them talked much about the bond the Ten shared, of the marks on their chest binding them together.

"It's going to begin again" she quietly commented.

"I know" he replied, a stray tear finding it's way to the floor beneath him. They were both sitting on the floor, their backs against the wall, Robin's head leaning on his shoulder, and Luffy's arm around her. They were both slightly shaking. Luffy felt a surge of emotions all mixed up... anger, pain, fear, sorrow, loss. He didn't know how to feel, what to feel anymore, and what made it worse, he didn't know which of those emotions were his. His hand absently want to his chest, and angrily clutched at his shirt right over his heart. He knew the mark on Robin had done the same, and it had probably happened to the _others_ as well.

"I'm scared" she whispered. Luffy hugged her tighter, letting his warmth and scent wash over her.

"Hush" he whispered back "Everything will be alright. I promise. Whatever happens, I will protect you"

She sobbed lightly into his chest, the exhaustion finally driving her to sleep. He looked at her, his sadness at the fact that she was hurt obvious, as he gently lifted her and placed her into the bed.

* * *

Nami quietly walked away from the cabin. She was uncertain what she had just heard, but every single scenario that went through her head would make no sense. Why were they crying? What had happened to both of them? She remembered what he had told her the a few nights ago. A promise he had made. '_Could it have something to do with this', _she wondered. Well, there was another person she could ask. Walking to the small area between tho wagons, she grabbed the ladder and started climbing up to the roof above. She quickly noticed the man she was looking for.

"Hey Zoro" she called him. The swordsman sheathed his swords, and slowly walked over to her, a bored expression on his face. He beckoned her to get back down, the train was now above open sea, so it would be quite dangerous if she fell. Zoro noticed the worried look on her face, and quickly deduced whom she was worried about.

"You worried about him?" he asked. Nami merely nodded.

"Don't tell anyone but, I passed Robin's room a while ago, and both of them were inside crying."

Zoro quirked an inquisitive brow as he was listening

"Crying?" he asked shortly. His own thoughts were racing now, trying to figure out why the hell his tough-as-rocks captain would be crying. '_Could he be in..?'_This line of thought was quickly shattered. That made even less sense then most of his other outlandish ideas. Robin and Luffy were the closest thing he ever saw to siblings, and even when she had shortly been with another guy, there wasn't even a hint of jealousy or regret from his captain... though he did beat the living daylights from him when he cheated on her.

"He said about something beginning again." she added, brow furrowed in thought

Zoro was now concerned as well. He sadly shook his head before turning away, hand going to the sword at his hip to continue his practice

"No use trying to get anything out of him. We should be in Water-7 in an hour or so, and he promised he'd explain everything once we all gathered." he stopped for a moment "I'm going to get some sleep, it's the shitty cook's shift now anyway. You should catch some sleep too, knowing Luffy, all hell is going to brake loose soon."

--------------

The station in front of them was a true piece of craftsmanship, and considering that they were on a city floating in the middle of the ocean, even having a train reach them was impressive enough, but this was not only pleasant to the eyes, but also incredibly stable. Water-7 was one of the last great projects of the United States before the plague and war struck. The other eight such stations were either still in construction, or were destroyed by lack of maintenance.

The train stopped gently, but the station was mostly void of life, several figures roaming about in the barely lit area.. Luffy lead the group's entry, his shoes clapping against the tiles beneath his feet as he descended. His coat once more covered most of his body, his favorite straw hat seemingly out of place, yet oddly fitting. He had slung his small bag over his shoulder, as the young man never needed much to travel around. Right next to him was Robin's elegant figure, the only piece of clothing visible was a long, but tight leather coat, along with knee-high black boots, both made to keep the body warm. Her bag was also in her hands. Similarly to Luffy, she had learned how to travel lightly over the years.

Behind them were Sanji, Nami, Sil, Jared and Zoro, all of them dressed warmly in winter jackets or coats. It wasn't winter yet, but the winds that blew here were frigid due to the open sea around them.

Luffy grinned when he recognized the small figure that charged towards him.

"Luffy!" a young boy shouted as he threw himself at him, easily flooring him. Luffy smiled widely as he lifted the kid he considered his adoptive little brother. Chopper was his name, at fourteen years, he was the youngest of them all, however, he was also an excellent medic, due to his studies. He may not have been the team's fighter, but he had pulled them out of more than one sticky situation with his quick thinking.

"Nice to see you to Chopper" Luffy replied between laughs, ruffling the boy's brown hair. "Guess what I've brought you?" he added, offering the boy a wide grin.

"You didn't...?" Chopper muttered, eyes comically widening.

"Of course I did. I promised, didn't I?" Luffy retorted, voice only slightly indignant. It was only then that Chopper finally noticed the rest of the group. Robin was lightly laughing, while Zoro and Sanji were trying to contain their laughs at the sight of their captain lying on the ground, brought down by a kid. Sil and Jared stood, slightly shocked by the events.

"Don't I get a greeting Chopper?" Robin asked, slightly pouting, a sight that brought Luffy to tears, and caused Chopper to stutter.

"Yo boss" Ussop called from behind the mess, Franky walking beside him.

"Ussop, Franky. Good to see ya guys. Now we're almost all here!" Luffy greeted back, getting up from the ground "Did you reserve the rooms?"

"All taken care of" Franky spoke. "The rooms are at the Serpent's Tail Inn, I reserved the whole last floor, and Brook is holding down the fort there"

"Nice." Sanji commented, lighting his first cigar since arrival.

"Alright everyone, we go to the Inn, get some sleep, and you get a free day tomorrow. We'll talk more in the morning, alright?" Luffy stated, though everyone still listened, and the group quickly quieted down, following Ussop and Franky to the inn.

Nami was once more studying the group she had just joined. Luffy was by all means the leader, there was no doubt about it, though he seemed to avoid ordering people around as much as he could, apparently valuing the opinions of the others in the group highly. But what genuinely surprised her was the diversity of characters that made up the group. Zoro, a man she had heard of a few times, was a bounty hunter, or at least a former one. Sanji was a master chef apparently, though she had a feeling that wasn't all he could do. Robin was a complete unknown to her, and so were Ussop, Franky and Chopper, who seemed like little more than a scrawny kid. But then again, to those who hadn't had any contact with him, Luffy seemed quite normal too. There was a confidence in their stride, and a cohesiveness she hadn't encountered in any group she worked with before. Without any comments, they had closed ranks around the three newcomers to the group, and rather than threatened, she felt protected, secure. Luffy would occasionally flash a smile as they walked the mostly empty streets.

It was surprising though. She had expected the place to be one of the usual military installations adapted for civilian life, but this place was built explicitly for the purposes of habitation, having actual stone houses and cobbled streets, along with numerous channels that served as the city's main method of transportation. It oddly reminded her of her one visit to the nearly sunken ruins of Venice, though this city was far more vibrant. Even if the streets were mostly empty, a large number of lights came from the houses, and the street lamps lit the streets in a surprisingly warm light. The chatter from the numerous taverns and restaurants along the way was lively, as groups of what she could only assume were tourists walked about. She also noticed that they were mostly using side streets for most of the path, and that it was the likely reason why there were so little people there.

At all times, the group around her kept their guard up. Zoro, seemingly bored, was actually the most watchful of all, the former bounty hunter using his eyes to scan the area around them for any potential threat. On the surface, Water-7 was a paradise, however, there were a number of criminal groups that operated throughout the area, and more worrying perhaps, was the influence the Federation Government had on the region... they didn't officially have any hold on the city, but they did hold a naval base nearby. Franky, likely the oldest in the group, was also keeping his attention on the area around them, his eyes darting while concealed by his black shades. Luffy was seemingly the most relaxed of all, though she had little doubt should something come up, he'd react quickly.

The group continued in relative silence, the whistling of some lively tune by Chopper being the only sound that came up. Soon enough, the 'inn' came up, though the place was more of a luxury hotel than anything else, even though it was relatively small. She idly wondered for a moment just how they had the money to cover such expenses.

"Nice place you picked out Franky" Robin commented, a happy smile on her face. Franky merely laughed

"You know me..." he jokingly spoke"but to be honest, I know the owner of the place, so it was easy to get the whole floor"

* * *

Sil found that she could very much get used to the way the group apparently lived. The Serpent's Tail was a five star place, and the two large apartments that covered the last floor were more than just comfortable. However, it was slightly surprising to her just how well they operated. There were almost no arguments between them when it came to work, even if Sanji and Zoro seemed to hate each other at times. Brook turned out to be an interesting character as well. The oldest member of Luffy's group at the ripe age of forty something (apparently the man refused to count past that), he was a violinist, and an expert fencer, even if he turned out to be a complete pervert, he seemed reliable.

The entire group had gathered in one of the two suites, everyone finding a comfortable place to sit.

Luffy had taken the time to light up the fireplace in the room, providing additional warmth, while Sanji brought up a number of small snacks and drinks. Zoro took his place near the fireplace, putting his back against the warm stone, while Ussop and Chopper lounged on the two recliners in the room, Ussop working on a rather strange looking rifle while Chopper helped him out. Robin, Nami and Sil took the couch, while Jared picked up a chair from the small dinning are in the kitchen and brought it there. Brook had taken his place near Frankie, the two of them sitting on the floor, backs against the wall. All in all, the entire group formed a semi-circle around the fireplace, with Luffy in the middle, back turned to the fireplace.

Zoro kept his gaze focused on the sword he was polishing, but he felt it. Luffy was worried, the usual devil-may-care attitude gone, replaced by a sober, concerned face. He knew the others noticed it too, it was hard not to, and Chopper's question to Sanji of 'What's wrong with Luffy', was an all too obvious sign. Sil, Nami and Jared didn't notice this difference, as they didn't know him well enough. It took a lot to shake Luffy, and whatever happened wouldn't be a good thing, that much he was sure of.

"Alright everyone, before I start the main subject of tonight's discussion, we have one short mater to settle. Our old _friend _Spandam decided to show his ugly face again, using coerced people to attack us. Namely Sil and Jared over there_" _Luffy stopped, gesturing towards the two siblings. "The bastard is camping out in the naval base nearby, and holding their third sibling, a sister named Keira effectively hostage. So, what do you think we should do?" he finished with a question, though he already had a good idea of what the answer would be.

"Raid the base and kill him" Ussop quietly commented from the side, bringing up a sigh from the kid next to him

"You like shooting people way too much Ussop" Chopper muttered under his breath, bringing up a snicker from Zoro

"I agree. It would be the best option." Zoro added after he stopped snickering.

"He escaped us the last time, and look what he's up to now" Sanji joined in.

"We could beat him up to an inch of his life and leave him a mute quadriplegic for rest of his life?" Chopper offered, bringing up a rather shocked reaction from Sil, Nami and Jared, all three wondering just how the hell did the youngest among them had such... sadistic ideas.

"I like that one" Ussop agreed "Though the snake that he is, he'd still cause a mess."

"True" Frankie commented, a hand beneath his chin "I think we should just stop him permanently. Robin?"

"Whatever Luffy decides, I'll go with it" she quietly answered, her eyes briefly turning to the young man who merely offered his smile to her.

"Then we are in agreement. We'll sneak into the base and kill him. I know where we can get the base plans, and we'll make a plan tomorrow and attack the day after during the night." he quietly stated, the entire group offering short nods of agreement "Now, to the second subject." he started, voice trailing off as he gathered his breath, and his will to begin speaking.

"I assume some of you have heard of the term Awakened, no?" he asked, receiving nods, to his surprise, from everyone. He had expected the old members of his crew, such as Sanji, Zoro and Frankie to know, the first two because he had told them, and Frankie because he helped Luffy escape during his youth.

"To put things bluntly, the Awakened are human beings with special powers. You've probably all heard rumors about them, and scarily enough, some of those rumors are completely true." he stopped there, turning his back to the others and crouching in front of the fire, grabbing a red-hot ember from the fire.

"As you see" he stated, his hand not affected in the least by the ember in it "This is a minor trick I learned how do to. Others no many more. I am personally aware of about two hundred awakened. However, the strength of each such individual varies greatly. The weakest are barely any stronger than an ordinary human being... but at the opposite end of that scale there exists a group." he once again trailed off. "Known as the Covenant of Ten. The ten most powerful Awakened in the world, originally gathered by the Federation Government for an experiment a short time after their birth. I..." Luffy stopped there, a tear he was completely unaware off sliding down his cheek as memories came flooding. He shut his eyes, his face distorting into a grimace of pain. He gritted his teeth for a moment, finally gathering the strength to continue. He had decided. It was time to bare his past to them, even if he didn't really want to, he owed them that much

"Each member gained a number rank by strength along with a title when the Covenant was first made, a mark that bound them together tattooed on each and every member's chest. Before I go any further, you should know something. What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this room. If you were to tell anyone, unless they already know, they would be unlikely to believe you, and if they did, they would likely capture you for information." he stated "Sil, Jared, if you don't want to listen to this, please leave the room. Perhaps it would be for the best if you weren't involved" he added to the two newcomers, who merely shook their head and remained seated.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, onward. The Covenant of Ten, has logically ten members, the group of ten who swore an oath nine years ago. Both me and Robin are members of that group. Robin bears the title Sage and the number four, while I... well, I have the title Guardian" he added, quieting down. Zoro felt the need to prod a bit at that point.

"Which number are you Luffy?" he asked, eyes shortly moving from his blade to face the young captain. The proud glint he noticed there honestly scared him.

"One" came the short response, and in turn the room remained silent. Zoro and Sanji already had an idea that that would be the answer as both had seen him fight at his full strength more than several times. "I'm almost sure that the rankings had changed since then, but then again I rarely use the same amount of power I did back then" he continued, slowly unbuttoning and taking off his shirt "The Covenant wasn't an alliance, it was a peace treaty between groups. A friend made these" he said, throwing away the shirt and revealing his scarred chest and back, but pointing at the tattoo over his heart "This mark is the bond that keeps us aware of the others... a way to know if the oath was upheld."

He stopped there, waiting for questions.

"Does that mean you are somehow connected to the others?" Ussop asked.

"It does. I can feel the death of any other member, and even the way in which they died. Sometimes feelings, if they are strong enough also come through. I can also tell the general direction of any other, though it isn't good enough to track them" Luffy responded, listing off everything he could remember about it.

"Luffy.. you said that all the members were used in an experiment?" Nami asked, but immediately regretted it when she noticed the haunted look on his face.

"I'm sorry Nami" he said a few seconds later, face turning to the ground "But I'd rather not talk about it yet"

"Luffy, just what did you swear to?" Zoro asked this time, diverting his attention. Luffy's face immediately turned to that of his swordsman, blinking for a second.

"Aa.. I can't tell" he quickly responded, a sheepish grin covering his face, a stark contrast to the previously saddened face

"Oh, come on Luffy... tell us" Chopper whined, bringing in a few more snickers from Zoro and Sanji.

"I can't" Luffy whined back "We promised we wouldn't!" he added, waving his arms about for added effect. Nami couldn't help but chuckle herself at the sheer, vibrant energy Luffy had. How he could act so childish and carefree and yet be so serious at times was beyond her.

It was at that point that any attempt at order broke, as Luffy had finished saying what her had in mind for the time being. Both Nami and Zoro could swear they were forgetting something as they were forced to fight over the snacks with the hungry trio of Luffy, Chopper and Brook. The jovial mood lasted for the better part of to hours, with Brook bringing out his violin and playing a merry tune while they each retold stories and drank, the snacks being completely gone by then.

* * *

**Author's notes**: Well, I hope it was enjoyable. While considerably shorter than my other stories, I enjoy writing this one. I hope you enjoy reading it as well. Read and review folks... :D


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